I saw on TV that Geno's in Philadelphia won't sell their cheesesteaks to anyone who doesn't order them in English. Your opinion?

Pat's cheesesteaks (made with Cheez Whiz) vs Geno's cheesesteaks (made with provolone) have been a source of arguments for decades. If anyone is familiar with the two establishments, which do you prefer amd why?

Since I'm going to PA in a few days, you can bet I'm going to scarf down a few Philly steak sandwiches wherever I am.

I've been to a few places in Paris which won't serve you unless you order in French. Though my menu French is quite adequate, it did not engender a warm feeling in my heart toward that city.

Then again, there is something authentic about this. Philadelphia is the town where they booed Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton. And the National Anthem. This is really part of experiencing the Real Philly, just as getting sneered at for having imperfect grammar and accent in Paris is part of that true experience.

A steak hoagie gets you a steak sandwich with lettuce and tomato and raw onion.

Last time I ate at Geno's (in March) I wasn't impressed. The roll wasn't as good as Pat's (across the street from Geno's) or Jim's on 4th and South. The steak was a little tough, too. A good roll is essential to the success of the sandwich. It needs to be fresh but with enough of a crunch to the crust to hold all the fillings. Delassandro's in the Roxborough section of Philly is my all time favorite. The counter has at least 4 kinds of marinated or pickled hot peppers to put on the cheese steak. When I was in school at Temple, I always celebrated finishing exams with a visit to Delassandro's, for a pepper mushroom provolone with a Rolling Rock.

dear larry - i grew up on cheesesteaks so i have a few opinnions. neither cheese option you give is the correct one. the real orginal ones are made with white american slices. almost every place makes them that way - haven't seen one in years that didn't. however i usually watch them being made first to make sure it is not cheese whiz. fried onions are a requirement in my view; but...... if you haven't ever been, go to the reading (pronounced like the past tense of 'read') terminal market - which is fun anyway esp. wed -fri when the amish farmers are there. the cheesesteak place there does a typical version. have some bassetts ice cream for dessert - nothing richer in the world. i usually get the cinnamon. have fun! best regards; david

Larry Greenly wrote:I saw on TV that Geno's in Philadelphia won't sell their cheesesteaks to anyone who doesn't order them in English. Your opinion?

Pat's cheesesteaks (made with Cheez Whiz) vs Geno's cheesesteaks (made with provolone) have been a source of arguments for decades. If anyone is familiar with the two establishments, which do you prefer amd why?

Since I'm going to PA in a few days, you can bet I'm going to scarf down a few Philly steak sandwiches wherever I am.

Rookies, tentative, stand back, study the menu, then exceed the unofficial four-word limit: "Hello, may I please have one whiz. No, wait - wit. No. Whiz-wit ... wait." On a good day, there might be some coaching from the window. But if there's a line, well, legend has it you'll be sent to the rear to practice your ordering skills - no kidding - like a mortified third grader who misspelled "cat."

For Kathy Smith, night manager at Pat's King of Steaks, the line is both her reason for being and the bane of her existence. She's serving as many as 200 "breads" an hour, so she prefers customers to go somewhere else to fumble for their money.

"I'm not here to be nice to you. My whole goal is to take care of the guy behind you," she says during a break. "Sometimes I'm afraid to come outside, I've been so rude to people."

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I lived for a while just north of Philly in Newtown. I periodically took courses at Temple Univ. and frequented the Franklin Institute. I also remember the "Sure Kill" freeway where I saw my first Jaguar XKE (I wanted one so badly, but they were >gasp< $6200 and I was making $5000/yr as a teacher.)

First of all, everything I'm writing here can be ignored because I've never had a Philly Cheesesteak and I've never been to Philly. I'm a strong believer in the concept that if something special developes in a given place, one should enjoy it in that place. For instance, I'm from the Buffalo area, and I've tried Wings in other areas and always regretted it. So I would assume the same would apply to a Philly Cheesesteak. So, when and if I ever get to Philly, I will surely try one or more. That being said, there is a local sub shop (Viola's) that's been making Steak & Cheese" subs since at least the early 50's and from what I understand, they in no way resemble a Philly Cheesesteak, but I like them a lot. Thin slices of steak, cooked on a griddle with oil, topped with Swiss-American cheese. It tastes similar to Provolone, but melts easier and the discussion about cheese on the Philly Cheesesteak is what prompted me to post this. It's served on a crusty sub roll made by a local Italian bakery and topped with chopped sweet onions, chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, oil (I think they use the 10% olive oil salad oil) and a blend of seasonings (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic?) shaken over the top before everything is folded into the roll. Quite tasty.

"Thin slices of steak, cooked on a griddle with oil, topped with Swiss-American cheese. It tastes similar to Provolone, but melts easier and the discussion about cheese on the Philly Cheesesteak is what prompted me to post this. It's served on a crusty sub roll made by a local Italian bakery and topped with chopped sweet onions, chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, oil (I think they use the 10% olive oil salad oil) and a blend of seasonings (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic?) shaken over the top before everything is folded into the roll. Quite tasty."

The store owner said in the interview that he's doing this because English is the language of American culture, and immigrants to this country are not going to get anywhere in our society unless they learn to speak it. This was true for his ancestors when they came here a couple of generations ago, and it's true today.

Onther interviewees pointed out that when they've visited other countries where English is not spoken, shopkeepers and restaurateurs have always graciously helped them out in their struggles with the native language. These interviewees were concerned about the hostile and unfriendly impression this sort of thing gives to foreign visitors.

I think both are valid points. I question, though, how much of a contribution to language immersion a sandwich shop is going to make.